News from the Leader of the LGA Labour Group

Thank you to all Labour
councillors who attended this year’s Annual Conference in Liverpool – it was
great to see so many Labour councillors there, and there was standing room only
at all of the local government events that were put on. In many ways it was the
most positive Labour Conference for some years – with an atmosphere of
excitement and a feeling of unity. I spoke to hundreds of you at Conference,
and there was a clear message from all in local government that we should be
united in saying that enough is enough, and that the Tory cuts to local
government must end.

Indeed unlike last year,
when some Labour councils has been unfairly attacked by a minority of
delegates, this year there seemed to be a much better understanding amongst all
members that the blame for council cuts lies solely with the Tory government.
Given that Labour in local government have been warning of the catastrophic
cumulative effects of austerity for almost a decade, it is good to see that our
messages are hitting home. Jeremy Corbyn made a special mention, saying that
‘It is Labour councils and only Labour councils that are taking every step to
protect people and services and we must thank them for it’.

Our fire must be directed at
the Tory government – and I will ensure that every Labour councillor is given
the chance to show how they are fighting back against the appalling damage that
the Tories are causing to their own community, and the disaster that will be
caused if they press ahead with further cuts, by developing a broad-based and
non-factional campaign. Alongside this, we must ensure that our own Labour
frontbench understands the scale of investment that local government requires
if the damage of austerity to be undone, and if we are to play the important
role necessary to deliver our 2017 manifesto. LGA Labour’s radical manifesto for local government ‘On Day One’ has played a key role, and we will continue to lead
this work to ensure that the next Labour government gives councils the freedom
and funding we need.

Thank you also for the many
kind words and messages about our work to influence the outcome of the
Democracy Review. This past year has seen too much of our time and resource
diverted towards dealing with this, but thankfully it has paid off - at least
in the short term. Prior to Conference the NEC recognised that many of the
proposed changes proposed to local government would be deeply unhelpful and
damaging and withdrew the rule changes, instead agreeing to carry out a wider
local government review with formal input from the ALC and from LGA Labour,
recognising our mandate as the elected voice of Labour in local government. We
will work to ensure that this review is positive, and does not lead to Labour
councillors being diverted away from their key task of protecting communities.

LGBT Labour Councillors Network

If
you were not able to join us at Conference and would like to be involved, or
just kept up to date, please email lewis.addlington-lee@local.gov.ukto
be added to our confidential LGBT Labour Councillors Network mailing list.

Labour Party Statutory Youth Service Consultation

The Labour Party’s
consultation into the provision of a statutory youth service is ongoing and
will close in mid-November. The consultation looks at how this should be
delivered, what it should deliver and how it should be funded. You can read the consultation documents here. Local authorities play a key role in delivering
youth services, so it is important that Labour in local government has a strong
voice in this consultation. The LGA Labour Group will be making a submission to
this consultation, and we would welcome any input from Labour councillors.
Please email hannah.lazell@local.gov.uk with any
thoughts. If your Labour Group would like to
make a submission then we would encourage you to do so.

National Education Union launches councillor network

The National
Education Union recently launched a local councillor network and held a successful
first ever councillor event in London on 3 July 2018.

During
the conference period NEU have been speaking to and handing out their latest
councillor briefing document on school funding, which has been warmly received
with great interest.To coincide with the conference season NEU have created a
dedicated webpage for councillors and this includes a sign up page which is available
here.

Joining
this network will give you access to:

Written briefings.

Regular information about education issues.

Our events for councillors

This
network is for councillors from all political parties and councillors can get
in touch via: cllrs@neu.org.uk

Councillors' Census

If you
are an elected member in England, you should have received an email inviting
you to take part in the 2018 Councillor Census.

Thank
you very much if you have already responded. If you haven't, we would be really
grateful if you could respond, as the findings inform the LGA's practical
support to authorities and councillors, and are of real use to central and
local government and political parties in the development of strategies and
policies.

Given
the scale of support from councillors, past surveys have provided the most
comprehensive, timely overviews of local government representation and how that
has changed over time. The deadline for responses has been extended to Monday 8
October. For more information or if you have any problems accessing the survey,
please email stephen.richards@local.gov.uk